Practical tools
-
Pond care calendar

What should you do if…?

…fish are gasping for air at the surface?

Fish are extremely active in summer, so they will appear more frequently at the surface than at other times of the year. However, oxygen content in the pond can be too low, particularly in warmer months. You can check this using a drop test. If oxygen is less than 5 mg/l, immediately add OxySafe to the water and set the APK 400 air pump working continuously.

…a fish in your pond shows symptoms of disease?

As all your fish swim around in the same water, you should treat them all with the remedy MediFin. Don’t be tempted to isolate the affected fish since this will only cause the fish stress and may make symptoms worse.

…the filter barrel is constantly overflowing?

This can happen for a number of reasons: The pump is too powerful. The filter is blocked. The outlet tube is protruding into water. The outlet tube is sloping upwards. In gravitation or trickle filters, such as Tetra’s PF pond filter, the water flows of its own accord through the filter media, without a pump to supply pressure. For this to happen, the system must always be sited at the highest point and the water should be able to drain from the barrel by the most direct route.

…plants are not growing properly or their leaves are yellowing?

Your plants are hungry for nutrients. Add PlantaMin and LilyPro for water lilies to the water on a regular basis. This ensures your vegetation gets everything it needs. As you would expect, all Tetra fertilisers are free from nitrate and phosphate.

…if the nitrate content is too high?

Work out why too many nutrients are getting into your pond. Overfeeding, too many fish, leaf fall and nutrient-containing water are just a few examples. Carry out a partial water change with at least 30% tap water, add AquaSafe to the pond and tackle the root of the excessive nutrients problem.

…the water is green?

Floating algae are the culprits here. This nuisance can be easily tackled, however, with a UV-C clarifier plus UVBooster. Just remember to replace the UV-C lamp every year. The other option is to use AlgoFree. This unique combination of active ingredients has been specially devised to combat floating algae for the long term.